China's top legislature on Wednesday adopted a new national security law highlighting cyber security and demanding the establishment of a coordinated, efficient crisis management system.

July 2, 2015

The human rights delegation of China’s State Council Information Office (SCIO) visited Mexico Monday and held a joint press conference in Mexico. This is the first time the Chinese delegation for human rights visited Mexico.

Huang Junxian, head of the delegation and deputy director for human rights affairs of the SCIO, introduced China’s human rights achievements and experience at the press conference and answered questions. "China and Mexico have a long history of friendship and have seen frequent high-level visits and increasing commercial and humanities exchanges in recent years. Both China and Mexico believe that human rights exchanges will strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries," Huang said.

July 2, 2015

The China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS) introduced its upgraded website both in English and Chinese languages on July 1. The website (http://www.humanrights.cn/) and its English-language version (http://www.chinahumanrights.org), which were launched in August 1998, are the only authorized portals for China’s human rights related information. The websites aim at presenting an objective picture of China’s human rights conditions in a comprehensive and prompt manner. As a window for the world to understand China’s human rights progress, they are dedicated to telling human rights stories in China, and introducing Chinese and foreign conceptions of human rights. They have played important roles in raising public awareness of human rights and letting China have more say in the international human rights field.

July 3, 2015

China is working to ensure universal access to legal assistance for suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings to protect their human rights, Vice Minister of Justice Zhao Dacheng said on Thursday.

Improvements to legal aid are one of the ministry's top priorities, as the right to counsel is a core human-rights requirement and adheres to the constitutional principle of equality before the law, Zhao said at a press conference.

July 6, 2015

The minimum salary standard in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been increased starting from July.

So far 14 regions are reported to have increased their minimum salary in 2015.

July 6, 2015

One month after Beijing introduced a tough smoking ban, 40 organizations and 90 individuals have been fined for breaking the regulation, local authorities said Friday.

"The fines totaled about 100,000 yuan (16,120 U. S. dollars)," said Gao Xiaojun, official with Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning.

According to Gao, an anti-smoking tip-off hotline has received 3,305 complaints, among which 56 percent were about smoking in office buildings and restaurants.

July 7, 2015

Some 1,000 historical documents on Japanese aggression have been donated to a Beijing museum after China said it welcomed such evidence.

These documents, which were donated to the Overseas Chinese History Museum by Taiwan artists Hsu Po Yih and mainland entrepreneur Li Zhe, included books, newspapers and bonds related to major wars launched by Japan. They also include scripts documenting Japan's recruitment in Taiwan and the military currencies issued by Japan.

July 7, 2015

A spate of headline-grabbing cases involving the rape and molestation of minors has prompted a review of the relevant legislation and school safety measures, and has placed greater emphasis on a lack of parental oversight.

July 8, 2015

China’s "Go Global" strategy is expected to bring win-win benefits not only to governments and companies around the world but also to ordinary people, said Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, the UN independent expert on the effects of foreign debt on human rights, in Beijing on Monday.

July 8, 2015

South China's Guangdong province plans to grant hukou, or household registration, to more than 13 million migrant workers from around the country by 2020.

To this end, middle- and small-sized cities and towns will further relax their household registration system to allow more farmer-turned migrant workers to become local urban residents, according to Peng Hui, deputy director general of Guangdong provincial department of public security.

July 9, 2015

Each Chinese county will have at least one institution offering employment to the mentally challenged and heavily disabled people by 2020, the China Disabled Persons Federation (CDPF) said on Wednesday.

The requirement was raised in a national plan to build employment assistance institutions for disabled group, issued by eight government departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the central bank.

July 9, 2015

China's judicial authorities are to join the fight against domestic violence, a top justice official said, China News Service reported.

Huang Ermei, vice president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), attended the the launch of a pilot scheme on Tuesday covering work on anti-domestic violence joint-action at Nanning intermediate court in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

July 10, 2015

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to the statement of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein’s on a regular press conference on July 9, 2015. The statement concerned that the new law of national security is too wide-ranging and some terms are vaguely defined which will give the Chinese government more space to limit rights and freedoms of the citizens and strictly control the civil society.

July 10, 2015

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to a question confirming that whether more than 100 illegal Uyghur immigrants were deported back to China from Thailand, and that what punishment would the Uyghurs receive.

July 10, 2015

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to a comment related to China in the release of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 of the UN. She also answered a question regarding what contribution has China made in eradicating extreme poverty.

July 10, 2015

The top legislature released a draft cyber security law and began soliciting public opinion this week.

The National People's Congress (NPC) said the full text has been available on its website since Monday, and the public can express their views or submit proposals until Aug. 5.

July 10, 2015

This year's job-hunting season in China is coming to an end, but Li Weibin has yet to find a satisfactory position.

"I have been looking for jobs for months in Beijing, but have had no luck because many companies only want people with experience," said Li, a new graduate from China Youth University of Political Studies, a top university in China.

China's college graduates reached a record high of 7.49 million this year, up by 220,000 compared with 2014, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

July 13, 2015

China's food safety watchdog has called for local authorities to be on the lookout for smuggled frozen meat after a large amount of smuggled meat, some of which have been frozen for four to five years, was seized by customs.

July 13, 2015

China's envoy to the UN office in Geneva has expressed disagreement with relevant comments by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday on the country's National Security Law.

Ambassador Wu Hailong, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, said it was a common practice among countries to enact laws on national security.

China disagreed with the High Commissioner's comment that the new security law defined the meaning of national security extremely broadly, Wu wrote to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.

July 13, 2015

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has urged enhancing vocational skills of the disabled and boost their employment and business creation.

Li made the remarks in a written instruction for the fifth national vocational skill competition for disabled people and the second national Abilympics held in Wuhan City in central China from Saturday to Sunday.

July 13, 2015

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong has called for enhanced efforts to protect the Great Wall.

She made the remarks during a recent inspection tour in north China's Zhangjiakou City, an important point of the Great Wall, one of China's most iconic landmarks.

July 14, 2015

China will probably introduce an overall two-child policy in one or two years, senior demographers expect, as the top population authority said the government would keep fine-tuning birth rules to ensure a sustainable and balanced population growth.

July 15, 2015

People in many parts of China are complaining that they have not received high temperature allowances despite the hot weather.

A report shows that 27 provinces and municipalities have released standards of high temperature allowances, most of which remain unchanged for years.

Beijing is joining with Langfang and Baoding in Hebei province a three-year project to control air pollution, with funding of 460 million yuan ($74 million) for this year, the municipal environmental authority said.

July 16, 2015

China detained nine foreign tourists－five South Africans, three Britons and one Indian－for suspected ties to a "terror group" after authorities accused them of watching banned videos.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the nine were "criminally detained"－a term meaning suspects have likely been charged and could be prosecuted－and that 11 others will be deported. All are suspected of violating the law, the ministry said without elaborating.

July 17, 2015

Less than 20 percent of nursing homes in China's major cities are profitable, and homes for middle-income seniors fall far short of what is needed, according to a report released on Thursday by the China Research Center on Aging.

The report, which looked at the development of nursing homes, was based on information collected last year from civil affairs authorities and questionnaires submitted by 257 nursing homes in 12 major cities, including Tianjin and Chongqing.

July 20, 2015

A total of 600,000 Chinese doctors have signed their names to an online petition calling for the end of violent attacks on medical workers after a physician was injured by her patient in South China's Guangdong province on Wednesday.

The police in Huizhou city, Guangdong said on Sunday that the suspect, whose surname is Liao, has confessed to the attack on the doctor, Ou Lizhi, from Longmen County People's Hospital.

Attacks on healthcare workers have triggered public outrage, especially in the medical sector. As of Sunday, more than 600,000 doctors had signed their real names to join the social media campaign.

July 21, 2015

China's employment situation remained stable in the first half of 2015 as the unemployment rate surveyed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 31 major cities dropped to 5.06 percent in June.

It was the lowest level for the year to date after rising to 5.19 percent in March due to holiday distortion, NBS data showed on Monday.

July 21, 2015

China's top universities are continuing to work on improving equality during admission season, especially through enrolling more students from rural areas.

Officials of Renmin University of China said the school enrolled 314 students from rural areas, about 11.2 percent of the total number of new students, this year. The university plans to enroll around 2,800 new students this year.

July 21, 2015

Police arrested a man suspected of planning to bomb a shopping mall in Shijiazhuang, North China's Hebei Province in early 2015, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Ekber, the suspect, was among several people arrested who were trained overseas and entered China to engage in alleged terrorist attacks, the Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.

Xinhua quoted Ekber as saying that he was trained by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a UN-recognized terrorist group.

July 23, 2015

An international forum on climate change will be held in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province in November, it was announced Wednesday.

The forum, organized by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), will bring together representatives from more than 40 countries to advise on lowering carbon emissions and other climate issues.

July 24, 2015

The seminar on “New Normal of China’s Economy: Sustainable Protection of Development Right” opened in Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE) on Thursday. The seminar, hosted by the DUFE, was launched by China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS), and co-sponsored by DUSE’s Human Rights Research and Education Center. Luo Haocai, Chairman of the CSHRS, attended the seminar and delivered a speech. More than 70 experts and scholars from universities and human rights research institutions had in-depth discussions on the sustainable protection of right to development under the ‘new normal’ economic landscape.

July 24, 2015

China will expand its critical illness insurance system to cover more urban and rural residents, the State Council, or China's cabinet, decided on Wednesday.

All participants in the country's basic medical insurance system for urban and rural residents will be protected against critical illness by the end of this year, according to a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

July 27, 2015

At around 4 p.m. July 26 local time (around 9 p.m. Beijing time), a suicide car bomb hit Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, causing casualties to many countries. The Chinese Embassy in Somalia is located in the hotel, and one security staff of the Chinese Embassy working in the hotel died from severe injuries with three other staff mildly injured.

The Chinese side is deeply shocked by the terrorist attack and strongly condemns it. We are saddened by the loss of the Chinese staff, and extend deep condolences. We also express sincere sympathies to the bereaved family and the injured. The Chinese side also mourns for all the victims.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to the attack. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately took emergency response measures, and all the staff of the Chinese Embassy have been transferred to a safe place.

July 27, 2015

A survey of 2000 people conducted by China Youth Daily recently shows 83.1 percent interviewees feel stressed to support their parents. China is one of the fastest aging countries and it’s a social concern to ensure old people a comfortable remaining years.

66.4 percent interviewees think the difficulty in supporting parents is they don’t have enough time to accompany their parents and 46.7 percent think only child feel more pressure to support their family.

July 27, 2015

President Xi Jinping instructed youth organizations to better unite young people and firmly follow the Party.

A total of 1,311 members of the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) and 538 deputies to the All-China Students' Federation (ACSF) attended congress held every 5 years in Beijing on Friday morning.

In a congratulation letter to the congress, President Xi stressed that the ACYF and ACSF should keep improving themselves and better exercise their duties to connect to young people.

July 28, 2015

“China highly appreciates the positive roles of overseas NGOs, and will welcome and support their friendly activities in China. China will provide better services for overseas NGOs,” said Guo Shengkun, Minister of Public Security on Saturday.

A symposium on overseas NGOs was jointly held by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Ministry of Public Security (MPS), and Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) in Shanghai on July 25. Guo presided over the symposium.

The symposium was attended by representatives of some overseas NGOs in China and general-consuls of US, Germany and UK in Shanghai. China hopes to take this opportunity to signal its attention on this issue and its more positive, open and tolerant posture.

July 29, 2015

Regular safety checks and maintenance of escalators and elevators have been urged in the wake of a tragedy in Central China's Hubei province.

A woman fell into a gap at the top of an escalator at a department store in Jingzhou city on Sunday.

The first national standard on the scrapping of main components is expected to take effect next February.

July 29, 2015

Online shops run by college students created 300,000 jobs in 2014, the People's Daily reported on Tuesday, citing a report by the China Association of Employment Promotion (CAEP).

Nearly 60 percent of online shops operated by individuals rather than enterprises are run by either college students or college graduates.

On aggregate, by the end of 2014, China's online shops had created 10 million jobs, with 6.18 million run by college students or graduates, the newspaper cited the CAEP report as saying.

July 30, 2015

A BBC Monitoring journalist wrote in his July 29th article after watching the live-broadcast topical debate program aired by a TV channel in Jinan, Shandong province on July 26 that Chinese media become braver to challenge oversights about political broadcasts and want more government transparency under President Xi’s anti-graft campaign.

The live program is similar to the UK’s Question Time, the report said.

Similar programs have been aired before in Wuhan and Nanning, but the live topical debate show sponsored by Jinan TV is the largest-scale and is well-received across the nation.

July 30, 2015

When a senior falls in the street, should you help him/her? A small issue like this has bothered people for a long time in China.

Beijing has taken the first step to solve the trouble. Lately the draft of "Beijing Emergency Medical Service Regulation" has been submitted to the 14th Beijing NPC Standing Committee, which states that the patients and his or her family who fabricate facts and maliciously claim for compensation will be subject to legal penalty. This regulation has been commented as the Chinese version of "Good Samaritan Law."

July 30, 2015

China will launch a massive sample survey of senior citizens on August 1. This survey, the fourth China has made on the living situation of senior people in rural and urban areas, will last about one month with the effort of 40,000 census-takers, according to a press release held by China National Committee on Ageing.

The census covers 466 counties (districts), 1,864 towns (communities) and 7,456 villages (neighborhood) of China’s 31 provinces including Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In total, 224,000 people will be surveyed, accounting for 1 percent of the total population of the senior citizens, said Wu Yushao, the deputy director of China National Committee on Ageing.

July 31, 2015

The Chinese government on Thursday launched a three-year program to reduce the number of underage drug users and increase awareness among youth.

The program, launched by the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) and Ministry of Education, is aimed at keeping the number of underage drug offenders at less than 0.3 percent of all drug offenders and achieving a "notable reduction" in new users.

July 31, 2015

Kazakhstan`s capital before glitzy Astana took over its mantle in 1997, Almaty is the less-fancied competitor in a two-horse race which will be voted on by 90+ International Olympic Committee (IOC) members on July 31.

Last month both candidate cities presented their concepts to the IOC in Lausanne, with the Kazakhs, who have limited experience hosting international sport events, presenting their bid as "keeping it real" with an abundance of natural snow in winter and magnificent snow-capped Tien Shan mountains surrounding Almaty.

That was widely seen as a sideways dig at Beijing -- where officials admit they would have to resort to artificial snow for many events -- as well as a nod towards the sustainability focus the IOC itself has emphasised during the bidding process.